Wheelchairs are being sold everywhere these days, especially online. This sometimes makes it hard for seniors to find options that they can trust to meet their physical and medical needs. Drive Medical is one supplier that seniors have trusted for years, and their wheelchairs can greatly improve your quality of life.
The Blue Streak is a highly affordable model that should be at the top of your list; read our Drive Blue Streak wheelchair review to learn more about its features, benefits, and whether or not it could be right for you!
Review of: Drive Blue Streak Wheelchair
Please click image for more info
What We Like:
- Versatile & Portable
- Safe, Lightweight wheels
- Movable armrests
- Detachable footbed
What We Don’t Like:
- Low weight capacity
- Weak armrests
Our Conclusion: The Drive Blue Streak is one of the lightest, most versatile, and affordable wheelchairs on the market. It’s perfect for short-term rehabilitation needs, or as a backup wheelchair for seniors who predominantly use motorized mobility aids.
Features of Drive Blue Streak Wheelchair
Folding Armrests
The armrests on the Blue Streak fold back and stay out of the way when you need them to. This is helpful in a few different ways. First, it allows you to roll closer to a table or desk when you are eating or working. Wheelchairs feel quite bulky in these situations; often, this forces seniors to get out of the chair to sit at a table or desk. Being able to fold the armrests back lets you get close enough to use the table without having to leave the chair!
Second, some seniors have severely limited mobility that makes it impossible for them to enter and exit their wheelchair without help. A caregiver will have to lift them in/out of the chair, and this can be an uncomfortable and even dangerous process if the armrests get in the way. The risk of a fall or injury is the biggest drawback to wheelchair use; entering and exiting is one of the scenarios at which this risk is the highest. Being able to move the armrests back allows both you and your caregiver to avoid discomfort and injury!
Portability
A 41-pound wheelchair is by no means the lightest on the market, but the Blue Streak is still quite easy to transport! 41 pounds is light enough that most people will be able to lift, and it folds up easily to fit in the back of your car, trunk, or anywhere else! This allows you to take trips to the doctor, to shops, or to visit friends and family much more easily. With a solid, portable wheelchair like this one, you regain a lot of your freedom!
Having a backup wheelchair is a good idea for people who use a larger mobility aid most of the time, such as a mobility scooter or electric wheelchair. In places where you aren’t able to use your powered mobility aid, being able to grab your manual wheelchair from the trunk or closet keeps you moving!
High Quality Wheels
The wheels are made from rubber that provides traction and composite spokes that are much lighter than the traditional steel. Wheelchairs that have heavy wheels are hard to push and wear you out much faster. Manual wheelchairs are exhausting to use for more than a short trip, and overuse of a manual wheelchair can even result in muscle injury.
Because a manual wheelchair is still the best mobility option for many seniors, it’s helpful to have one with wheels that are easy to push. They will save energy and strain on your muscles, which will already be working hard enough to propel you!
Affordable
Many manual wheelchairs cost more than you’d think. Some run upwards of $500 and provide little more than the Drive Blue Streak does, even though they cost more than three times as much! For just under $125, you can get a long-lasting, comfortable wheelchair that will help keep you moving and won’t break the bank!
Plus, if you are participating in a Medicare or Medicaid program, there is a chance you can get your Drive Medical wheelchair paid for, in part or whole! Wheelchairs are considered a medically necessary device, and if you can obtain a prescription, paying for your Blue Streak wheelchair will be a piece of cake!
Specifications of Drive Blue Streak Wheelchair
Drive Blue Streak Wheelchair |
|
---|---|
Height |
36″ |
Length |
42″ |
Width (Closed) |
12.5″ |
Width (Open) |
24″ |
Total Weight |
41.25 lbs |
Seat Dimensions |
18″ (W) x 16″ (D) |
Seat Height |
19.5″ |
Warranty |
Three-year limited warranty |
Weight Capacity |
250 pounds max |
Video Overview of Drive Blue Streak Wheelchair
Pros and Cons of Drive Bobcat Scooter
PROS
- Versatile and Portable: This wheelchair is quite versatile, able to meet the needs of various seniors. It’s also very easy to fold, lift and store in a car trunk for use on the road!
- Safe, Lightweight Wheels: The wheels provide great traction on carpet, tile, and concrete. They’re also made from a lightweight composite material that makes propelling yourself in the wheelchair slightly easier, saving yourself some muscle pain.
- Movable Armrests: Being able to move the armrests saves you the trouble of awkwardly trying to eat a meal at a table or work from a desk. They also make it much easier and safer for a caregiver to lift the user into and out of the seat!
- Detachable Footbed: This wheelchair has adjustable and removable footrests that can provide much-needed stability for your feet. It also includes calf straps that are useful for some seniors who have limited use of their legs and need some extra stabilization. Removing the footrests saves a bit of space for transportation, as well as roughly 6 pounds of weight!
CONS
- Low Weight Capacity: This wheelchair has a weight capacity of just 250 pounds; most manual wheelchairs can support a 300-pound user, so this is something to keep in mind if you are close to or over the weight limit!
- Weak Armrests: The armrests on this wheelchair rely on plastic rather than metal. While this does save some weight in the design, it can be easy to break them if you are a heavier user pushing down on the armrests to stand and sit. If they do happen to crack or break, they are replaceable, but this is something to watch out for.
Who the Drive Blue Streak is Best For?
The Blue Streak is a great option for almost any senior looking for a wheelchair. It’s designed as a sort of “jack of all trades” wheelchair rather than specializing for a specific need. That means that few seniors will find that this wheelchair is a bad choice for them!That said, this wheelchair is ideally suited to a senior who needs a medium-duty wheelchair to use when they’re outside the house or for short-term recovery and rehabilitation. It isn’t the kind of wheelchair that will be comfortable to sit in for eight-plus hours each day; the seat is very basic and doesn’t provide that kind of padding. It is best used as a temporary or semi-regular mobility aid rather than a permanent, everyday option.
Finally, it’s a great wheelchair for people who need something affordable and may not have many options available to them. Wheelchairs are expensive, and many lower-priced models come from suppliers that skimp on quality and sturdy designs to produce cheaper options. Fortunately, Drive Medical has built a reputation over the last 20 years as a medical equipment provider that delivers long-lasting, beneficial equipment at a fair price!
Helpful Resources for the Drive Medical Blue Streak
- Click this link to access the Owner’s Manual for the Blue Streak Wheelchair
- Click this link to find Replacement Parts
Top Competitor Product: Karman LT-980
The LT-980 comes from Karman, a smaller but still reputable name in mobility. This chair shares many of the features that make the Blue Streak a solid wheelchair: it has light, easy-to-push wheels, easy folding, and a similar nylon seat. One advantage it has over the Drive Blue Streak, though, is that it weighs only 25 pounds! This makes it convenient not just for folding and lifting the wheelchair but also for conserving arm strength and preventing fatigue while using it!
This wheelchair is a good bit more expensive than the Drive Blue Streak and lacks movable armrests. So, for some seniors, this wheelchair won’t be as good an option. It does have strong handbrakes that are very easy to engage, a feature that the Blue Streak is missing! The hand brakes are easy to reach and can keep you from rolling when you need to stay still; this is especially important when standing or sitting when the chair slipping out from under you can spell disaster!
While it isn’t for everyone, you may want to consider whether the quality hand brakes and ultralight design have a higher impact on you than the features on the Drive Blue Streak. Both are phenomenal wheelchairs- you simply need to choose the one that is right for you!
Ian Klein’s Drive Blue Streak Wheelchair Review
Conclusion
The Drive Blue Streak can function as an everyday wheelchair, but other models may be more comfortable. If you’re looking for a dependable, fairly-priced manual wheelchair, look no further than the Drive Medical Blue Streak!
Drive Blue Streak (Click image for more info)
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